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Glossary · Customs & duties
What is HMF (Harbor maintenance fee)?
A US fee on the value of commercial cargo loaded or unloaded at US seaports, collected by Customs and used to fund harbor maintenance.
The harbor maintenance fee applies to commercial cargo loaded on or unloaded from a commercial vessel at a covered US port. It is calculated on the same customs value used for duty, and it does not apply to goods arriving by air.
As of October 2026, the rate in CBP's regulations (19 CFR 24.24) is 0.125% of the cargo's value. Unlike MPF, it has no minimum or maximum. Imports that qualify for informal entry are exempt. The money goes to the Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund.
On a container of furniture or equipment, HMF is small next to duties, but it appears on every ocean entry, so include it when you work out landed cost.
Sources: 19 CFR 24.24 (harbor maintenance fee) . Checked October 2026.
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